Questions tagged [deuteronomy]
Fifth book of the Torah
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Does Deuteronomy 22:1-3 apply to stray pets (e.g., dogs)?
Deuteronomy 22:1-3 teaches that if you come across your brother's lost ox, sheep, donkey, cloak, etc., you must return it, even if you do not know the one who owns it. Does this mean that if I see a ...
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Devarim 20: division of roles
Devarim 20:1-9 is a list of instructions that must be given orally to soldiers before setting out to battle. Rashi (on verse 8) explains that a priest says the words in verses 3-4, and that they also ...
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The weird example of a woman seizing a man him by his genitals
"If two men get into a fight with each other, and the wife of one comes up to save her husband from his antagonist and puts out her hand and seizes him by his genitals, you shall cut off her hand;...
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Why use different adjectives in Devarim 9:1 and Devarim 9:14?
א שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל, אַתָּה עֹבֵר הַיּוֹם אֶת-הַיַּרְדֵּן, לָבֹא לָרֶשֶׁת גּוֹיִם גְּדֹלִים וַעֲצֻמִים מִמֶּךָּ--עָרִים גְּדֹלֹת וּבְצֻרֹת, בַּשָּׁמָיִם
Deutoronomy 9:1
Hear, O Israel: thou art to ...
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Can I be condemned only by my thoughts? (without doing any bad deed) [duplicate]
Can I be condemned only by my thoughts? (without doing any bad deed)
Note: This question is related to another question on this site
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Can G-d read our minds?
In Devarim 8:2 it is written G-d test us in order to know what is in our hearts, so G-d uses an non-direct way to know what is in our hearts. Can G-d read our minds?
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Why are 2 Shevatim missing a Vav
In Devarim 27:12-13
אֵ֠לֶּה יַֽעַמְד֞וּ לְבָרֵ֤ךְ אֶת־הָעָם֙ עַל־הַ֣ר גְּרִזִ֔ים בְּעׇבְרְכֶ֖ם אֶת־הַיַּרְדֵּ֑ן שִׁמְעוֹן֙ וְלֵוִ֣י וִֽיהוּדָ֔ה וְיִשָּׂשכָ֖ר וְיוֹסֵ֥ף וּבִנְיָמִֽן׃
וְאֵ֛לֶּה ...
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Conversion and Devarim 23:8-9
Shalom.
I am a little confused by what appears to me to be a discrepancy between the halakha concerning gerus and Devarim 23:8-9.
The latter verse states that ‘Children born to [Edomites and ...
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Why Shemot 20:11 (4th commandment) refers to Bereshit's history of six days earth creation and Devarim 5:15 doesn't refer to it?
Why Shemot 20:11 refers to Bereshit's history of six days earth creation and Devarim 5:15 doesn't refer to it?
In Shemot it refers to Bereshit's history of six days of creation,and in Devarim 5:15 it ...
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What is meant by the ‘madness’ mentioned in Devarim 28:28?
Devarim 28:28:
‘Hashem will strike you with madness, blindness and dismay.’ (NJPS rendering)
What is meant by madness here? Is it recommended that one rely on the modern discipline of psychiatry and ...
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How can we explain these two pesukim?
In Tehillim 115:6 it is written:
הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם שָׁ֭מַיִם לַה וְ֝הָאָ֗רֶץ נָתַ֥ן לִבְנֵי־אָדָֽם
Translation: “The heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth He gave over to man.” (Source: Sefaria)
In ...
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Why "Snir" in Yechezkel 27:5?
In Devarim 3:9 it says that the Tzidonim would call Mt. Chermon "Sirion" and the Amorim would call it "Snir". However, when Yechezkel laments the fall of Tzor, which is in Tzidon, ...
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Did Yehoshua violate a Torah prohibition?
Devarim 4:2 states:
לֹ֣א תֹסִ֗פוּ עַל־הַדָּבָר֙ אֲשֶׁ֤ר אָנֹכִי֙ מְצַוֶּ֣ה אֶתְכֶ֔ם וְלֹ֥א תִגְרְע֖וּ מִמֶּ֑נּוּ
Yet according to one Talmudic opinion (Bava Batra 15a), Yehoshua added the verses ...
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Based on mitzvot in Exodus 12:22 and Deuteronomy 6:9 - Was HaDam sprinkled on Mezuzot inscriptions?
Based on mitzvot in Exodus 12:22 and Deuteronomy 6:9 - Was HaDam sprinkled on Mezuzot inscriptions?
Exodus 12:22
"Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and apply some ...
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Devarim 17:18 What was included in the king's “copy of this law”?
And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book, out of that which is before the priests the Levites.
What exactly was the king ...
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Does the prohibition from Devarim 22:11 relate to קַ֔יִן Qayin and הֶ֨בֶל Hevel?
Does the prohibition לֹ֤א תִלְבַּשׁ֙ שַֽׁעַטְנֵ֔ז צֶ֥מֶר וּפִשְׁתִּ֖ים יַחְדָּֽו from Devarim 22:11 relate to קַ֔יִן Qayin and הֶ֨בֶל Hevel?
What sources (besides the two provided) validate this ...
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Mishneh Kesef on the heifer with the broken neck
In Rabbi Kaspi’s commentary on Deuteronomy 21:1, he refers to ‘the teacher’ as having already given a reason for the commandment. Who is this teacher and where did s/he give their reason? Thanks.
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Was Devarim 32:1-43 a Duet sung by Moshe & Yehoshua?
Was Devarim 32:1-43 a Duet sung by Moshe & Yehoshua?
After reading verses 1-43, we learn in Deuteronomy 32:44 [MT]:
וַיָּבֹ֣א משֶׁ֗ה וַיְדַבֵּ֛ר אֶת־כָּל־דִּבְרֵ֥י הַשִּׁירָֽה־הַזֹּ֖את ...
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Should the blood of the Olah be burned or poured out?
Shalom. I’ve just noticed that Devarim 12:27 says that the blood of the Olah should be burnt on the altar. However Vayikra 1:5 says that the blood should be dashed against all sides of the altar. Has ...
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Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread with it
In Deuteronomy 16:2 it says one has to slaughter the passover sacrifice from the flock AND herd.
Then in verse 3 it says: “You shall not eat anything leavened with it; for seven days you shall eat ...
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Awesome or aweful - נורא
Looking at verses such as Devarim (Deuteronomy) 7:21 and 10:17 those seem to talk about a awe-inspiring and awesome G-d. Yet the word נורא also means aweful or terrible or dreadful.
So how should I ...
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Contradiction about Moshe
It says in Shemot 17:12:
"But Moses’ hands grew heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur, one on each side, supported his hands; thus his hands ...
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Who exactly is the "kedesha" according to Rambam's interpretation?
I am an Italian noahide.
My question expresses a purely intellectual curiosity, concerning the Jews and not the Gentiles.
I cannot understand what is the exact definition of "kedesha" by Rambam , as ...
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On the halachic level, does the sexual intercourse between a Jewish man and a Gentile woman married to a Gentile man constitute adultery or not?
I am an Italian noahide.
As is known, the Torah prohibits marriage between Jews and Gentiles, and in general sexual intercourses between them. There is, except for my mistake, the exception ...
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How much is Rabbi J.D. Bleich's exegesis about Targum Onkelos on Deuteronomy 23:18 really shared in the Jewish tradition?
I'm an Italian Noahide. The issue in question manifests my purely intellectual interest, concerning the Jews and not the Gentiles.
In Contemporary Halakhic Problems, Vol II, Part II, Chapter XIII The ...
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What is the significance and/or purpose to the different ways the Commandment on covetousness is given?
The last of the Ten Commandments spoken from Mount Sinai is about covetousness:
“You shall not covet your neighbor's house; you shall not covet your neighbor's wife, or his male servant, or his ...
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Why no positive feedback from Moses in his reproof for everything Israel did good?
I'm a big fan of Positive Psychology approach to education, reinforcing positive behaviors instead of discouraging negative ones.
When Moses is scolding the nations for the sins [of the previous ...
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How come that the 200 Mitzvos of Chumash Dvorim weren't presented to Dor Hamidbar?
Please correct me if I'm wrong, the last book of the Torah - Dvorim - is all about what Moses said on his last day(s) to Dor Ha'Aretz, as the Torah testifies:
אֵלֶּה הַדְּבָרִים אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר מֹשֶׁה ...
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Who wrote Deuteronomy?
I know this has been covered by many commentators in the past, and here also, but I am still looking for a clear resolution of the ambiguities.
Who wrote the Book of Deuteronomy? Does Tradition ...
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Understanding Rashi's opinion regarding who said the book of Devarim
The Gemara (Megilla 31b) says: "[In reading] the curses that are in Deuteronomy one may pause [it may be broken up into several aliyot]. Why? Those [that are in Leviticus, which must be read in one ...
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Are Devarim 4:32-33 an argument from ignorance? If so, why are they often used as a rational basis that Judaism is true?
I have read/heard myriad Rabbis1 cite Devarim 4:32-33:
הֲשָׁמַע עָם קוֹל אֱלֹהִים מְדַבֵּר מִתּוֹךְ־הָאֵשׁ
כַּאֲשֶׁר־שָׁמַעְתָּ אַתָּה וַיֶּחִי׃
Has any people heard the voice of God ...
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Talking with/against the dead [duplicate]
If a beloved one has passed away, is it allowed or prohibited to talk against this soul? For example is it allowed to say goodbey, or to say you will mis him/her? I know there is a prohibition against ...
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Were Tefillin worn in the Midbar?
Were Tefillin worn in the Midbar (40 years of wandering) before the Jews entered Israel?
If so what Parshiot were in those Tefillin?
According to those who say Moses wrote Deuteronomy at the end of ...
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What stops a modern Jew from practising stoning?
What stops a modern Jew from practising stoning? why don’t observant Jews keep the laws of death penalties as prescribed in the Torah?
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"If you go out to war against your enemies"; why are they called our enemies?
Ki Teze begins, "if you go out to war against your enemies" (Devarim 21:10). RaSh"I states:
כי תצא למלחמה: במלחמת הרשות הכתוב מדבר
If you go out to war: The verse refers to a non-...
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Are any communities reciting Rambam's list of Haftarot for most of the book of Devarim?
Thanks to DoubleAA for introducing me to this list of Haftarot from Ramba"m's Sefer Ahava; Seder Hatefillah #61 (See near bottom of the linked page.)
Most congregations have replaced the 7 haftarot ...
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What is the purpose of Sefer Devarim?
In an epic Rash"i, the 1st one on Breishit 1:1, he says that technically, the entire book of Breishit would be unnecessary if we assume that the purpose of the Torah was to be a mitzvah guide and not ...
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Is the existence of Ashkenazi and Sephardi traditions a violation of "Lo Titgodedu"?
Devarim 14:1:
בָּנִים אַתֶּם לה' אֱלֹקיכֶם לֹא תִתְגֹּדְדוּ וְלֹא־תָשִׂימוּ קָרְחָה בֵּין עֵינֵיכֶם לָמֵת׃
You are children to Hashem your G-d. You shall not cut yourselves, nor make a bald ...
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Where was Moses standing when he spoke the Shema?
Having a visual sometimes helps.
When reading scripture I like to visualize it.
I would like to be as accurate as possible.
If we went back in time to the moment Moses said "Hear O Israel", and ...
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Is a non-Jew executed in Beit Din hung? Is his body Promptly Removed?
Do the laws in Devarim 21:22-23 referring to the commandment to hang as well as the prohibition of leaving the body apply to a gentile who is executed by Beit Din in Eretz Yisroel?
22 And if a man ...
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Reading Mishnah Torah on Hoshana Rabba
There is a minhag that many have to read in shul from a Sefer Torah the entire Chumash of Davarim on the night of Hoshanah Rabbah. What is the first makor (source) for this minhag and what is the ...
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How should we understand the Torah’s comparison of a tree to a “man”? What message is the Torah trying to convey?
Deuteronomy 20:19
(19) When in your war against a city you have to besiege it a long time in order to capture it, you must not destroy its trees, wielding the ax against them. Because you will eat ...
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What is the evidence that says that the second luchos are referred to in Parshas Voeschanan?
I have seen various references that say that Parshas Voeschanan tells about the second set of tablets given to Moshe. E.g. Yeshiva.org.il says
צריך עיון במה שהזכרנו לעיל שהתורה אומרת " וכתבתי על ...
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Deuteronomy 31:19 Torah Leining
I see some discussion on Trope and the cantillation symbols, but little has been addressed by way of why you lein. I read Deuteronomy 31:29 in Scripture today and it made me wonder, Is it possible ...
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Duteronomy 17 applied today
Deuteronomy 17:8 says,
כִּי יִפָּלֵא מִמְּךָ דָבָר לַמִּשְׁפָּט, בֵּין-דָּם לְדָם בֵּין-דִּין לְדִין וּבֵין נֶגַע לָנֶגַע--דִּבְרֵי רִיבֹת, בִּשְׁעָרֶיךָ: וְקַמְתָּ וְעָלִיתָ--אֶל-הַמָּקוֹם, ...
user2411
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How and why are eunuchs forbidden to enter the congregation per Devarim 23:1 but are accepted in Isaiah 56:4-5?
"He that is wounded in the stones, or hath his privy member cut off, shall not enter into the congregation of the LORD." - Deuteronomy 23:1 KJV
"For thus saith the LORD unto the eunuchs that keep my ...
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Book of Joshua verse 1 & 2
The Book of Joshua begins:
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: 2 “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ...
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Why are there two different accounts of Aaron's death?
Numbers 33 says the nation goes from Moseroth to Bene-jaakan to Hor-haggidgad to Jotbah to Abronah to Ezion-geber to Kadesh to Mount Hor, and that Aaron died on Mount Hor.
Deuteronomy 10 says they ...
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Vilna Gaon on Sefer Devarim
Where does the Gra mention the idea that Sefer Devarim is split up into parshiot representing the centuries going into the 6000 millennium? There is another idea that Ki Tavo fits into the years of ...
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Some questions on Deuteronomy and its authorship
Deuteronomy discusses Moses' death, and I've heard several versions of its authorship: that Moses wrote it (and knew about his death, it was predetermined), or that Joshua wrote it (or part of it).
I'...
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